Stonecrops grow prettier every day

In your landscape you may have an unassuming perennial which has required very little care. However, its glory days are beginning.

Commonly called stonecrop, the sedums are a large family of plants which are succulents. Some sedums are natives in North America; some are native to Europe but have been naturalized here. The common name, stonecrop, reflects the lack of maintenance needed – as easy to grow as stones. The botanical name, sedum, comes from the Latin word sedeo which means to sit since many members of the sedum group are low-growing and sit on rocks and walls.

The beauty that is coming into its season now is Sedum spectabile. The commonest variety is Autumn Joy but there are a number of similar hybrids many with Autumn in their name. The perennials are easy to grow with little preference for type of soil. They usually do better in a sunny location and tolerate drought well.

Over watering does more damage to sedums than under watering. Unlike some of their cousins, these are upright plants growing one to three feet tall with fleshy, thick leaves. Some sedums provide colored leaves and are valued for that.

Beginning in late August and lasting sometimes into November these sedums start showing pink blossom clusters that are beloved by bees, birds and butterflies. If you have one, check it out and you will likely find a lot of bees busily working to fill their hives before winter. As the season goes along the “Autumn Joy” flowers become redder and darker ending with a rich maroon shade. The plant can be cut back after the blooming season but if the flowers are left the birds may snack on them in the winter. During the season the flower heads can be brought in as a cut flower. Sedums are hardy in zones 4 through 7.

If you have a difficult space that needs some brightening, sedums are good choices. They are available in garden centers in the spring in pots and usually grow readily even in poor soil. If you want to increase the number of upright plants you have, break off a small stem before the blooming season and plant it. Even though it is a hybrid, planting a cutting will enable the same plant to grow.

This works with the fleshy leaves of other sedums such as jade plant. A single leaf can produce a new plant. The low growing sedums can be used as cover crops and may be fairly aggressive in filling in unplanted areas of a flower bed. One of the commonest of these is called Goldmoss and will cover your area with small yellow blossoms for most of the summer.

Sedums may have snails or slugs that bother them but most critters (including deer) do not. They have very few pests or diseases. If you don’t have an “Autumn Joy” in your landscape, you may want to consider it. The color is a heartening addition as colors of others fade.